Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh admits the allrounder's spot remains a worry, but he hopes Mitch Marsh will ease the pressure on everyone by scoring a Test ton.
Marsh's spot in the Test side will be under the microscope this summer following a series of indifferent displays over the past year.
The 25-year-old has all the tools to become one of the best allrounders in the world, but his inconsistency has become a major concern for national selectors.
Marsh has scored just two half-centuries in his 29 Test innings, with his average an underwhelming 24.
His form with the ball has been solid, but not earth shattering.
Rod Marsh responded with an emphatic "yes" when asked whether Marsh was under pressure to perform in the first Test against South Africa at the WACA Ground, starting Thursday.
Mitch's confidence leading into the Test would have taken a battering after scoring 12 and 0 in WA's 10-wicket Sheffield Shield loss to South Australia.
He returned figures of 2-110 in SA's first innings, and didn't bowl in the second dig.
"He needs to bowl well and bat well. Unfortunately in the Shield game he did neither," Rod Marsh said.
"He got 50 in his last Test innings in Sri Lanka. And he's been batting beautifully.
"That's the thing that's really annoying at the moment about Mitch - he's hitting the ball as well as anyone.
"But he just hasn't got a big score. He needs to get a Test hundred I reckon.
"Mitch is still is a guy that promises a heck of a lot. Let's hope he comes good.
"He's still a young man. He's still finding his way in Test cricket. He's played enough now to be ready to fire I hope."
If Marsh fails to perform in the first two Tests against South Africa, the likes of Moises Henriques or James Faulkner could come into consideration for the third Test.
Mitch's older brother - Shaun Marsh - predicted his younger sibling would soon regain his mojo.
"Mitch is only one score away from having a really strong summer," Shaun Marsh said.
"His bowling has been fantastic for Australia now for a period of time. He's just one score away I reckon and we'll see the best of him."
